Crusher

Physical Description

Skin Color

Distinctions

Other Information

Homeworld

Other Names

Charger

The Crusher, also known as the Charger, is a Xenomorph caste that was encountered by Colonial Marines from the USS Sephora on Acheron (LV-426). Its most notable features are its large head crest, which is said to be completely bulletproof, and its habit of charging its prey to inflict massive blunt force trauma. It acts as something of a heavy unit for the Xenomorphs, able to engage even armored vehicles with some success.

Contents

The Crusher is typically black with a dark brown or gold tint to its body. They have been seen in various sizes, but are always considerably larger than common Warriors, standing around 10' tall when on all fours. The Crusher's head is topped with a thick, bony crest, larger even than on some Queens, that it lowers into a vertical position before charging its target like a bull. This crest is incredibly strong, hardy enough to repel most forms of gunfire (including even the M56 Smartgun), and when lowered into the charging position it effectively shields the Crusher's more vulnerable body from frontal damage.[1] The force that the Crusher can impart with its charging attack is tremendous, enough even to propel an M577 APC sideways some distance, or throw an individual Marine several meters through the air.[1]

However, this unique mode of assault renders the Xenomorph virtually blind whilst charging, meaning it is often unable to alter its course should its target move out of the line of attack. Furthermore, if an aggressor is agile enough to sidestep around a charging Crusher, its less resilient body will subsequently be exposed and left vulnerable. Even so, the creature is still incredibly tough, able to soak up significant amounts of damage before succumbing.

How the Crusher is spawned is entirely unclear and has been left up to debate. It is unknown what kind of host it spawns from or if it even spawns from a specific host. One plausible theory is that the Crusher is the Praetorian form of a Runner. Both the Crusher and Praetorian have crests as well as being notably larger than their brethren and mostly bulletproof. They both also have limited mobility, with Praetorians unable to scale walls and Crushers unable to jump, scale walls or change direction when they charge.

The physical differences between the Crusher and a regular Praetorian are mirrored in the Runner and Warrior; one is primarily bipedal while the other is quadrupedal and its attacks are coupled with its speed. Like the Runner, the Crusher can charge at foes with tremendous force.[1]

In some interviews with the game's developers, the Crusher has been called a Charger, no doubt due to its tendency to charge at prey.

Despite featuring heavily in the E3 2011 gameplay demo, the Crusher only appears four times in the release version of Aliens: Colonial Marines, and is only engaged (and killed) by the player once. The Crusher also appeared in Stasis Interrupted the fourth and final DLC for Aliens: Colonial Marines where you once again only get to engage and kill a Crusher once.

Four Crushers can be seen in the Aliens: Colonial Marines campaign. The first is seen pushing a Weyland-Yutani APC over a cliff. Later, upon entering a breached outpost, a heavily wounded Crusher is seen still breathing. Another is found locked in a cell inside the Origin Facility, while the fourth is encountered (and fought) when the player tries to retreat back into Hadley's Hope.